Participatory varietal selection of chickpea in rainfed rice fallow lands of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh in India for sustainable crop production

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru 502 324, Greater Hyderabad, Andhra, Pradesh, India.

2 Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India.

3 Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India.

Abstract

Production and area of chickpea are reducing every year in India due to
competition with horticulture and other cash crops in irrigated areas. There is a great
scope for expanding chickpea production with or without limited irrigation in rainfed
rice fallow lands (RRFL) in the states of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. Nineteen
chickpea genotypes were tested using participatory varietal selection (PVS) trials on
farmers’ fields in each of the four districts of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
Among the several traits of the introduced chickpea varieties, grain yield was the
most preferred trait by farmers, followed by resistance to diseases and early maturity.
Selection of chickpea genotypes varied over time and location depending on
agronomic and climatic pressures, indicating a preference by farmers for growing
multiple, improved varieties. Yield potential of PVS genotypes averaged up to 50%
greater than the local cultivar. Farmers’ participation in the selection process of
genotypes laid the foundation of better and sustainable yields of chickpea and
thereby providing better economic returns suitable to small farmers of RRFL of
Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. The results of this study can be replicated in the
similar environments in Asia and Africa.
Keywords: Farmer participatory; Improved genotype; Mother and daughter trials;
Plant breeding; Rainfed rice fallow; Varietal selection.
International Journal of Plant Production
Volume 8, Issue 2 - Serial Number 2
February 2014
Pages 243-254

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